Cobb GOP Party Chairman Joe Dendy and Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart of east Cobb say they can’t believe that congressional Republicans would ‘compromise’ with Democrats late Tuesday night in striking a tax law deal to avert the ‘fiscal cliff.’

MARIETTA — Cobb GOP Chairman Joe Dendy said he’s not happy with the deal federal lawmakers reached on New Year’s Day to avoid the “fiscal cliff” of middle class tax increases.

“It just does not make sense why a Republican would vote for this bill,” Dendy said. “I’m afraid our representatives up there have become ineffective. Compromise to the Dems means the Republicans give up 99 percent of what they want. That’s what they consider the definition of compromise.”

The bill passed by Congress would boost the top 35 percent income tax rate to 39.6 percent for incomes exceeding $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, while continuing decade-old income tax cuts for everyone else.

Dendy criticized several of the items included in the package, such as tax credits for the wind energy industry and tax breaks for NASCAR.

“He’s crammed this thing with more spending,” Dendy said of President Barack Obama. “I tell you, I can’t see where we would be anywhere worse off if we had gone over the cliff.”

Georgia Republican Party Chair Sue Everhart of east Cobb said she was “just thoroughly disgusted with Washington.”

“As much as I hate to say it, I almost wish they let us go over the cliff and let us go ahead and address spending,” Everhart said.

As for why Republicans split with some voting for the package and others voting against it, Dendy said, “It seems like we can no longer unite under the banner of the Republican Party and stand firm on what we believe.”

Melissa Pike, chair of the Cobb Democratic Party, has a different view.

“I’m proud that our senators finally did the right thing and saw past this partisan nastiness and did what was right for the country, and I’m disgusted with the House Republicans in Georgia for once again doing what was politically expedient instead of what was right again,” Pike said.

Cobb Chamber of Commerce Chairman Tony Britton called the deal a good compromise but said there are still many unanswered questions, including the possibility of across-the-board budget cuts.

“Certainly it appears they moved forward with some things that will provide some answers, but as far as the spending, as far as the sequestration which could have a big impact in Georgia, that’s still an unknown,” Britton said.

Tom Maloy, a member of the Marietta-based Georgia Tea Party, said he opposed the deal that was approved.

“Personally, I am so disappointed in this Congress, in the Republicans in the Senate, particularly our two senators because they should know better, and the House of Representatives for allowing this thing to pass,” Maloy said.

Maloy called the package a bad deal because it doesn’t cut spending.

“It raises taxes on everybody even though they are ballyhooing the increased taxes on anyone making $400,000, people forget that they’ve allowed the payroll tax cut to expire, so that’s going to increase taxes on everybody, so those people who are happy that the so-called rich are getting gouged, they need to look at that law a little bit closer and realize that everybody is getting hit by this tax increase,” Maloy said.

Maloy said he would like to see U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R-Moultrie) and Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) challenged when they’re next up for election.

“I guess they feel that the people voted for increased spending and increased taxes when in fact the people in Georgia voted for just the opposite,” Maloy said. “The senators did not serve their constituents out of this deal.”

In reference to the last paragraph of the article, perhaps the senators did serve the people of Georgia. After all, Democrats are the party of tax and spend and Republicans are the party of borrow and spend. If you want something different in Washington, vote differently and campaign for your candidate!

Joe does not have to move on, but he will never be elected to a position of GOP leadership again. I think that Joe Dendy has it backwards; The truth is that elected officials needs errr must have Cobb GOP support in order to win.

When you are unwilling to hold politicians accountable, we get these types of results.

Bottom line: It is true that democracy is a messy business.

Just Wait

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January 03, 2013

If it wasn't for the fact that Republicans can't stop signing the songs for the rich, it might be easier to accept their "no tax" babble. To us moderate, middle income folks, it appears the Republicans only care about the rich. And if that is true, they could at least look like they are throwing a bone toward the middle class occasionally.

What is disgusting is our do-nothing Congress, both sides of the aisle. They had a year to make some meaningful compromises, and they waited until New Year's Eve, and it's not even done. Now no one is really happy, and they have simply placed a Band-aid on a sucking chest wound.

do not stand for reduced spending: Under Reagan national debt increased from $1T to $3T. Bush started two unfunded wars $1.5T and Medicare drug benefit $0.5T. So the Dems are tax and spend and the Repubs are borrow and spend, not much difference. We need a third party that demands a balanced budget.

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